


On The Exhale

by FestiveFerret



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Aggressive Plants, Alien Planet, Hanahaki Disease, Happy Ending, Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, Life-threatening Illness, M/M, Pining, Protective Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 20:04:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15396369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FestiveFerret/pseuds/FestiveFerret
Summary: Steve and Tony travel to an alien planet to help a community after several kids go missing. But while they're searching, Tony gets hit with a toxic substance, and Steve only has a precious few days to find a way to save him.





	On The Exhale

**Author's Note:**

> For my "alien planet" bingo square! 
> 
> I couldn't help doing a Stony hanahaki fic! I love that trope way too much. :D

"I'm just saying -" Tony shoved a hefty vine out of the way and Steve barely dodged it swinging back towards his face "- that there were better people to choose for this mission. Plant people. Biology people. People who own rubber boots."

"People with a four billion dollar spaceship?"

"Okay, granted. I can see why that was a factor, but I'm not above being a glorified chauffeur, Steven. I could have dropped you off, hung out on Risa and had a burger and shake while you and Dr. Rubber Boots hunt this thing down, and we'd be back in time for America's Next Top Model."

Steve chuckled. "They wanted you, Iron Man. You have a reputation."

"Wow, that's worrisome."

Tony bent to shuffle under the large trunk of a fallen tree-like-thing, and Steve forced himself to flick his eyes away. It was all too easy to get lost in the way Tony's body angled and moved as he worked his way through the jungle. It was stiflingly hot so he wasn't wearing the armour, it's life-support systems not designed to handle this level of humidity, but he had the boots on, and one gauntlet, and he swore that the rest could snap into place at a moment's notice. 

So that meant Tony was in his undersuit, which apparently had "supreme breathability" but it clung to him like a second skin and Steve - well Steve was a bit distracted. Tony wasn't shy about his body, either he knew that boxing, building, and piloting the suit did him a number of favours or he didn't care what people thought of him. But Tony wore the wetsuit-tight layer with confidence, not hesitating to bend over in front of Steve and display his, frankly perfect, rear end. A bead of tantalizing sweat dripped down the back of Tony's neck.

Steve swallowed hard and tried not to trip. Again. Tony was handsome, and kind, and funny, and occasionally even more stubborn than Steve, and it was inevitable, really, that Steve would fall for him, eventually. From the day he woke up, he'd started the plunge, and after two years of working together, he'd only dived deeper. 

At first, he'd thought maybe Tony had some feelings for him too, or at least was attracted to him. But after a while, Steve started to see that Tony was like that with everyone: close, flirty… seductive… and Steve was reading way too much into it. Being friends was enough though, most of the time.

"- because I really have no idea how this kind of thing works."

Steve realized while he'd been daydreaming about sliding his hands up Tony's flanks, Tony hadn't stopped talking. "I'm sure you'll figure it out, Tony, you're a genius."

"Have you noticed that plants are entirely the dominant species on this planet?" Tony asked, gesturing towards a massive leaf, covered in tiny spikes. "Like, people have nothing on the jungle here, they're barely surviving. But there's a beast that's stealing children from the village? How does it live out here with so many aggressive plants. Look at that one! I wish Thor had given us more to go on…"

"Looking for the scepter was more important. Like I said, we'll figure it out." 

Tony slowed and turned; he smiled at Steve. "Before, you said _ I  _ was the genius so _ I'd  _ figure it out."

Steve grinned back. "Well, I'll race you, then. First one to figure it out wins."

"You're on." Tony set off again, Steve keeping close behind, eyes flicking over Tony's shoulder to check for danger every few seconds. "Okay," Tony began, "so somewhere on this tiny continent on this rather tiny planet, there's a beast that's somehow surviving in an environment that is completely dominated by plants, and it's eating children. Like, there aren't even any squirrels." Tony gestured up towards the canopy. "Or birds. What is it eating when it can't get kid?"

"Maybe it's an omnivore?"

"Why develop a taste for kid at all, then? There's more than enough plant life here to keep it going. And how did it get here in the first place?"

"Does it matter? Thor said these people asked for help, so we're going to find it and stop it. Why is its biology important?"

Tony huffed with familiar exasperation, and Steve felt his cheeks heating. He'd said something stupid again, apparently. "Because we're trying to track it, Steve. Helps to know something about it. They said it only attacks at night, so we can assume it's nocturnal - and hopefully sleeping right now. If we know what it eats besides kid, maybe we can lay a trap or find its den or something." He stopped again and turned around. "Have you just been aimlessly following me?"

Steve ran his thumb along the edge of the shield. "Was I supposed to be doing something else?"

"We're looking for evidence! Trampled patches, sketchy looking caves, leaves that have been nibbled. If it's the only mammalian thing out here, it's got to make an impact. Look for clues. Look for beast shit!" Tony threw his hands in the air and spun around, marching off through the vines and branches.

Steve kept his distance, giving Tony some space. It was unlikely that Tony was actually mad at him, more likely frustrated at the circumstance. Give it twenty minutes and he would burn it off and be back to rambling about rubber boots.

Besides, Steve was a bit worried that if he responded, he'd snap back himself. The humidity was dense and heavy and made it feel like each breath was half steam instead of air. It was tiring, and he could already feel his super soldier muscles aching slightly with the effort of fighting through it. Surely Tony was even more uncomfortable. 

All the noises you'd expect from a dense, tropical jungle were bizarrely absent - no birds calling, no bugs humming. Instead, the air was filled with heavy creaking and cracking, and it smelled intensely of floral perfume, which was making Steve feel dizzy. 

"You can hear the jungle growing," the village elder had said, before they'd set off. "Don't let it grow right up around you."

Ominous… Steve cast his eyes around, looking for any of Tony's clues. Footprints, nibbles, caves… shit. There was nothing. But then - A flash of rainbow out of the corner of his eye had Steve stopping and turning, twisting his head to try and catch it again. A leaf fluttered in the wind, and there it was again. It stood out in a sea of green and brown. Steve took a step towards it. The leaf fluttered again. What was that?

A few steps off the path gave Steve the angle he needed to make it out more clearly, and he came to a stop and frowned. There wasn't anything behind the leaf, the leaf itself was two sided, green facing up, with a shimmering, metallic underside that flashed attractively in the light when the breeze moved it. It was like -

It was like a fish hook.

Steve took a slow step back. If there were no animals here… what was the point in having a lure?

The jungle creaked and groaned around him, pressing in. The sky seemed to darken further as the branches bent and waved and blocked the sun.

"Tony?" Steve stepped back on their path. He could see the dark edges of Tony's undersuit about twenty feet away. "Hey, Tony."

"Look at this one."

Steve used the edge of the shield to shove a vine out of the way, leaves smacking against his face, and found Tony standing next to a rather startling plant. It was a huge, pale green dome, like a cactus, almost, but it came all the way up to Tony's waist and was more than twice his width. Instead of spikes, it was covered with tiny, pale pink, trumpet-shaped flowers. 

"Tony… I think we should go. I heard something." Steve looked back towards the shiny plant. The leaves around them rustled and twitched. "Tony…"

"Yeah, okay. Let me just make a note of where we are so we don't end up just doing the same route over and over." Tony pulled a notebook out of his pocket, the atmosphere of this planet apparently sending him back to the middle ages, and started to make notes using a series of symbols Steve didn't understand. He turned around, looked up at the sky, then at the complicated compass device that hung from his belt. He looked up again, took a step back -

"Tony, watch out -"

Tony walked straight back into the domed plant. He yelped and darted forward again, but seemed unhurt. Steve took half a step forward and - 

The whole plant exploded in a cloud of thick, pink pollen. It burst up from every flower, swirling in the moving air, so heavy that for a moment, Tony was completely obscured. Then he staggered into view, hand clutched around his throat.

"Tony!" Steve caught him as he stumbled another step, Tony tumbling into his arms, gripping Steve's forearm death-tight. His face was pale and dotted with the pink pollen, giving him the bizarre appearance of having some sort of cartoon version of the measles. "Tony! Say something!"

Tony choked, coughed, and Steve could hear now, the wheeze, the gasp; he couldn't breathe.

"Fuck, you must have inhaled a shitton of that stuff." Steve maneuvered Tony into a more comfortable position on the ground and ran a soothing hand up and down his flank, too terrified to be awkward about their closeness. Tony coughed and spat a puddle of damp pink on the ground. It was just dark enough to be altogether too much like blood, and Steve couldn't stop his hand from clenching on Tony's hip.

Once he'd calmed enough that he was getting a bit of air in, Steve scooped him up. "We have to get back. It's going to get dark, and who knows what effect that pollen might have. You need a doctor."

"Ha - uck -" Tony rolled in Steve's hold and coughed hard enough that Steve could feel it shudder through his frame.

"Don't try and talk, Tony. I'm going to get you back, okay?"

Tony looked up at him, eyes streaming, face pale and splotchy, mouth hanging open as he tried to suck in enough air not to pass out, and he rolled his eyes.

Steve smiled affectionately. "Only you." He was flushed with the urge to press a worried kiss to Tony's forehead but he resisted.

It took half as long to get back to the village as it had to get out this far. Steve held Tony close to his chest, trying not to be grateful for the opportunity to have him so close, considering what he was going through, and moved as fast as he could without disturbing Tony too much. Tony kept coughing up the vile pollen, each heave sounding rougher and rougher as his throat tore with the effort. He started whimpering after each cough, his arms wrapped around his body. Tears streaked his cheeks from the pure strain he was putting his muscles through. Steve wanted to brush them dry.

Instead, he focused on getting them back as quickly as he could. 

When the woven roofs of the village came into view, Steve let out an involuntary groan of relief. He staggered across the cleared green, deeply grateful to be free of the jungle's ominous hold, and straight into the hut at the end of the row, where they had told him the healer worked.

"Help," he gasped, out of breath himself from his panicked rush. He deposited Tony on the woven cot in the corner and slumped on the floor beside him, one hand wrapped possessively around Tony's ankle.

"What happened?" the healer asked in her heavily-accented English. Steve regretted for the eighteenth time not getting Thor to teach them some of the local language before they arrived.

He did his best to describe the plant but without luck. The healer stuck her head outside and yelled something at one of the kids hanging outside, sending him running off into town. The healer came back in, and Steve grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil from the corner of her worktable and started to sketch out the plant. 

She leaned over and watched the pencil scrape across the paper. Finally, "Oh," she said. Not in a good way. Steve's heart clenched in his chest.

"No, no, don't tell me that thing was poisonous. Don't tell me that." But she didn't understand. She patted the back of his head and moved to her collection of supplies and started to mix liquids together.

Steve dropped to his knees beside Tony again and allowed himself to smooth Tony's hair back. His eyes had fallen shut, but he opened them again and looked at Steve with barely disguised terror. 

"You're going to be alright," Steve said softly. "She knows the plant. She'll fix you right up."

Tony didn't try to speak this time, just panted. Steve reached for his hand, and Tony took it, holding it tight to his chest, a silent plea not to leave him. 

"I'm here," Steve assured him, squeezing his hand. Footsteps behind him had him turning, and he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Nea, the girl who spoke English and had translated for them when they first arrived. "Nea, does she understand what happened?"

Nea spoke to the healer in their own language for a moment. "This?" She lifted Steve's sketch. 

"Yes."

"He inhaled the pollen?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Her face fell. "He'll probably be okay."

"Probably?"

"It - it depends. It's a common plant here. We actually farm it. The fruit inside is wonderful. But the pollen… some people react to it."

"React? Like an allergy?" Steve looked at Tony again. He was pale, and still coughing, but the difficulty breathing seemed to be from the stuff lining his throat and lungs, and not because his throat was closing up. He didn't look puffy, just red and pained.

"If he swallowed a lot, he might just feel sick for a few hours. Adie will give him something to help him breathe more easily, and we'll watch him during the night. Chances are, he'll be fine."

"Chances? Nea, just tell me."

"If he… reacts to it, he won't get better, he'll get worse. We'll know tomorrow."

"Shit." Steve tipped his head down until it landed on the edge of Tony's cot. A hand landed in Steve's hair, fingers brushing against his temples.

"Steve," Tony croaked, and Steve looked up sharply.

"Don't try and talk, Tony. Your throat must be wrecked."

Adie reappeared with a jar. 

"It'll help him sleep," Nea explained.

Steve squeezed Tony's hand. "Take it. Sleep. You'll be back to driving me crazy tomorrow." Steve didn't offer the further clarification of exactly how Tony drove him crazy.

Tony nodded and let Adie tip the edge of the jar against his lips. Steve expected him to cough and splutter, but instead he sighed with relief and started chugging back the potion with great relish. Steve rubbed gentle circles on the inside of Tony's wrist as his eyes fluttered shut. He slumped back on the pillow and his mouth went slack. 

Steve stayed by the cot all night. Tony slept, deeply and without waking, but Steve could hear the hitch in his breath, the little catch on every inhale that said things still weren't normal. He tried to convince himself that as the night went on, it was getting better, but when the sun lit up the inside of the hut, and Tony woke into a horrific coughing fit, he had to admit it was the opposite.

Tony's hand went to his mouth as he curled over the edge of the cot, coughing violently. His coughs were ragged and wet, and Steve winced in sympathy for each one. Tony pulled his hand away and stared into it, eyes wide. "What…?"

Oh god, there was blood - no? Steve looked closer. Not blood, but two, tiny, sodden flower petals. The same pink and delicate trumpet shape of the plant. Tony wiped his hand on the frame of the cot and rolled onto his other side, turning his back to Steve. He was quiet.

When Nea slipped into the tent, looking like she'd hardly slept either, Steve rounded on her. "Tell me what you wouldn't tell me yesterday," he growled. 

Nea's eyes cut to the smear of pink petals, and she swallowed heavily. She took Steve's wrist and led him out of the hut. The sun was bright and sharp, and Steve's tired eyes fought to snap closed against the onslaught. He turned, shading them with one hand.

Nea chewed her lip. "The plant. It likes to grow inside…" She gestured to her chest. "In your lungs."

"You said it was just some people, though, that most people were fine."

She nodded. "Yes. We grow them here, as a crop, but we keep them all in greenhouses so no one will be hit with the pollen. Even still, there are usually a few cases. People who are wrong or in denial. They go in, thinking they are safe to work, and then…"

"Denial about what?"

"The plant can only live in certain conditions. We don't understand why it works this way, but our people have been recording this for a long, long time. There's no doubt in my mind as to what made your friend weak to the pollen."

"Tell me." Steve's fingers clenched against his thigh.

"He's in love."

That - "What?"

"Specifically, he's in love with someone who does not love him back. What is the word…?"

"... Unrequited?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand. You're telling me that Tony has a plant growing inside his lungs because he's in unrequited love with someone?"

Nea nodded. "Yes, that's it."

Steve blinked at her. "There's definitely something being lost in translation here." He ran a stiff hand through his hair. 

She frowned at him. "No. That's it."

"But - but, biology doesn't care how you  _ feel,"  _ Steve spluttered. He felt on the verge of something that was dangerously close to a meltdown. 

"Feelings are just more biology, Captain Rogers," she said patiently, as if scolding a child. "And the plant has proven to enjoy the chemical makeup of that environment. I'm sorry. I wish -" Her face twisted.

"Fine," Steve growled out. It made no goddamn sense, but whatever. These people had their way of doing things and he had to respect that. "Okay. He's in unrequited love so the plant is growing in his lungs. How do we fix it?"

Nea's expression twisted further. "There's - Oh. Captain Rogers, there's - there's no cure…"

"Excuse me…?" Anger mixed with fear and radiated off of Steve in waves. "No cure?"

"Well. Just one."

"Tell me. I'll find it, do it. Anything."

"No, it's - I'm sorry. If the person he loves comes to love him back. That can save him. Only that. There's - there's nothing you can do."

And there really wasn't, because if Steve were the person Tony loved, he wouldn't have gotten sick. It was unrequited love only, which meant two things: one, Tony was in love with someone else, someone who didn't love him back, and two, Steve was damn lucky he didn't get hit with the pollen too because apparently Tony didn't feel that way about Steve or he wouldn't be sick.

Steve's stomach rolled and heaved, a mixture of grief and fear and pain and loss roiling around and threatening to burst out. "Okay. Okay." He pushed away from Nea, back into the tent and fell to his knees at Tony's side again. 

Tony rolled over and looked up at him. He looked terrible, absolutely terrible. "It's not good is it?" he asked, voice barely more than a rough scratch.

Steve shook his head. He reached out, allowing himself the indulgence of resting his hand on Tony's ankle again. "It's crazy… I think their healthcare is just - it's primitive.  _ Fuck."  _ Steve ran his other hand roughly through his hair.

"What did she say?"

"Tony, it's crazy. It makes no sense."

Tony nudged him, eyes asking the question again. Steve could tell he was holding back the need to cough.

"She said the plant is growing in your lungs. It likes to feed on human… chemicals. But only some people…"

Tony raised his eyebrows.

"It doesn't make any sense." He huffed a sigh. "She said you were in love with someone who doesn't love you back and that's why your lungs are the perfect environment for the plant."

Steve expected Tony to scoff or roll his eyes or at the very least, frown, but instead his eyes went wide and terrified, and then he broke into another painful-sounding fit of coughing that ended with him doubled up over the edge of the cot, spitting damp flower petals onto the floor. Steve hovered over him awkwardly, waiting for it to pass.

"Fuck," Tony rasped when he sat back up. "Goddammit, that hurts."

"I'm sorry."

Tony waved a hand dismissively then flopped it over to land on the bridge of his nose, squeezing. "Love, huh?"

"Yeah… it's not - I mean it's gotta be an old wives tale, right? She says if they come to love you back, you'll be cured. It's not true… is it?"

Tony blinked his eyes open and pinned Steve with a look. 

"Don't tell me it's true…"

"Well," Tony croaked, "I don't know if the science is true. Plants -" he shook his head "- but the, uh, the other thing…"

Shit. Tony really was in love. And with someone who didn't love him back. Not Steve.

Steve tried to school his expression into one of careful concern, but it kept wanting to shift back into devastation. It made no sense for it to hurt this much. It wasn't like Steve had a chance anyway - he'd been best friends with Tony for two years and nothing - but it didn't stop it from hurting, knowing that while Steve was quietly pining for Tony, Tony was quietly pining for someone else. And it was killing him. 

"Tony…"

Tony shook his head.

"Who is it?"

"No."

"Come on. I won't tell anyone. I just -"

"No." His eyes opened. "I'm not going to tell you, so don't even try, okay? There's nothing you can do about it. You can't force someone to love me back. You can't beat that into someone, Steve," he said with a soft smile. Tony ran his fingertip over the back of Steve's hand, and Steve realized he'd curled it into a tight fist. He forced his fingers to relax. "I know you'll beat yourself up about this if you know, okay? You'll try and convince them, you'll blame yourself when you can't. I won't tell you. That's it."

Steve growled with frustration and flicked his eyes to the back of the tent. "There has to be another way. Their medicine is good, but it's primitive. There has to be another way. Antibiotics… anti… fungals. Tony -?"

Tony half-shrugged, then coughed up another disgusting blob of sodden flower petals. More and more were coming up now. He was getting worse already. 

Steve squeezed his hand then stood. "I'm going to find a way to make you better, okay?"

Tony nodded with a smile that had too much sad disbelief wound through it. "I think I need to sleep some more," Tony rasped. He winced with pain, and Steve smoothed the covers over him.

"You sleep. I'll fix this." When Tony's face softened with sleep, Steve reached out and brushed his hair back back his pale, sweaty face. "I'll fix this," he repeated desperately.

Steve wandered around the hut, poking at Adie's books and scrolls. They were all in the native language, but Tony's ship had JARVIS built into it, and he could translate. Steve gathered an armful of of reference materials that looked like they might be related to plants - though most things recorded on this planet were about plants - and hiked back to where they'd parked the ship. 

This mission had been a bad idea; Tony was right. They were out of range of Earth and Asgard, so even if Steve could send a distress signal, no one who cared would hear it. And while JARVIS was incredibly advanced, he couldn't fly an entire space ship on his own, and Steve was next to useless in that regard. They needed Tony. But it seemed that Tony was too sick to fly and not expected to get any better, and it was a toss-up whether they'd have a better shot at medical care on the planet the disease originated from or back on Earth. 

Steve kicked a rock as hard as he could and watched it skitter away into the jungle. They'd been careless and stupid, and now Tony was paying the price. Steve reached the ship and pressed a palm against the scanner by the door, careful not to dislodge the precarious stack of books and papers in his arms. 

It was muggy and overheated inside the ship. They'd powered her down to conserve energy for their flight back so the air inside had been baking away for the two days they'd been here. Steve typed a code into the main computer pad and a single console hummed to life. 

"JARVIS, Tony's fallen ill. He breathed in the pollen of a specific plant and it seems to have infected him, or is growing inside his lungs or something. The people here, their understanding of it doesn't seem plausible. I brought everything I could. I need you to translate them into English so I can read this for myself."

"Of course, Captain. Right away." If it was possible for a computer to sound nervous, JARVIS did. "Unfortunately, without access to any Earth networks I can't do an extensive search for relevant material, but I can compare the data to what I already have saved in my banks."

"Thank you, JARVIS." 

Together, they worked through the entire stack, Steve holding out each page to JARVIS' camera, and JARVIS using the translator he'd compiled from Thor's information to do his best turning them into English. Steve watched the words scroll across the screen, his heart sinking deeper and deeper into his chest. 

There was nothing new; every book that mentioned the plant at all - apparently named "hanahaki" - reiterated the same thing: it was terminal. And the most depressing news of all was that it wasn't for lack of trying. Steve's assessment of their medical science as primitive turned out to be unfairly prejudiced. They had antibiotics and antifungals. They had almost every medicine that Earth did that you could extract from a plant and several more that Steve had never heard of. Their whole society relied on plants, survived off of them; they knew them inside and out.

And they knew the hanahaki plant to be deadly. 

Steve choked back a sob, tipping his forehead down to rest on the edge of the console, squeezing his tired eyes shut.  _ Why couldn't you just love me?  _ he couldn't help but think.  _ I would love you back.  _ It was horribly unfair and frankly unbelievable that Tony would give his heart away to someone who wouldn't want it back, when Steve wanted it so desperately. How could someone be offered Tony Stark and say no? It was inconceivable.

But somewhere, likely back on Earth, someone was walking around being loved by him, having no idea that it was killing him. Steve twisted a half-sob into a growl instead.  _ Dammit.  _ Maybe he could figure out who it was… not that it would help, because he couldn't contact them anyway. And Tony had been right before. As awful as it was to think, you couldn't force someone to love someone else, someone couldn't force themselves to love someone they didn't. If Steve told whoever it was, they'd just feel guilty that they couldn't save him. 

And yet, Steve couldn't help thinking about who it could be. Tony seemed utterly resigned to the fact. He'd not been surprised, not had to think about it. So it had to be someone he'd known for a while, someone he'd become used to the idea of loving. Pepper was out - she did love Tony, Steve was sure of it. Nothing unrequited there. They had decided not to be together, but Pepper loved Tony with all her heart. Rhodey, maybe. Tony dated guys so he wasn't out of the question. Though it was hard to believe Rhodey also wouldn't love Tony back.

The native language had at least two words for love and the writings on the plant used primarily the one that meant romantic love, so maybe platonic love wasn't enough to satisfy it. Maybe, as long as you were pining for something you couldn't have, that was enough. But then Pepper  _ could  _ be it after all. Steve sighed. 

Now that he thought about it, there were hundreds of people it could be. Tony went on a lot of dates before the arc reactor, and for all that the media played him up to be a wild child, he gave his heart away all the time. He trusted easily, too easily, bonded instantly, and it wasn't at all hard to believe that he could have met someone that Steve didn't even know, and fallen head over heels.

Steve banged his forehead against the console and groaned.

"Pardon me, Captain, but I'm running low on solar power. If you wish to continue, we'll have to begin again once the sun is up or risk running on core power."

Steve sat up. "Right. Yes. I - I'll bring it back tomorrow." But even as he said it, Steve knew it was fruitless. They'd read passages and notes about the plant at least twenty times, and every one had agreed that reciprocal love was the only way to beat it, and besides, these books all belonged to Adie; she'd know them front to back, and she had also said it was hopeless.

Steve suddenly didn't want to spend another second apart from Tony.

He gathered up the papers and hightailed it back to the healer's hut. 

Tony was gone.

Steve dumped the papers in a mess on her worktop and charged out in the twilight. "Tony!" His heart raced. What if Tony had choked - died - oh god what if Tony had died and he hadn't been there. Surely, it wouldn't work that fast?

"Captain Rogers?"

He spun to see Adie walking towards him. 

"Tony?" he asked, resisting the urge to grab her and shake her, as if he could get the information out of her faster.

"Yes, yes," she said kindly. She reached out and took his hand then led him down the row of huts to the one the locals had offered to Steve and Tony while they were here. Inside, Tony was curled up on his own cot, a large dish next to his head stained with blood, spit, and sodden, pink flower petals. 

"Shit," Steve cursed, letting out a sharp breath of relief. "Thank you." He squeezed Adie's hand. "Sorry."

She smiled, patted his shoulder then left, leaving Steve alone with Tony. Steve sat down hard on his own cot, facing Tony. He was asleep again, but his breathing was much worse than it had been when Steve had left for the ship. He was barely gasping in a breath, even in sleep, his chest heaving and falling with each attempt. Every inhale was inefficient and every exhale, wet. It was incredibly painful to watch. And Steve could do nothing.

He dropped his face in his hands then startled up when Tony broke into a furious fit of coughing. Steve reached out and took his hand. Tony's eyes fluttered open. "Ste-" He coughed again, wet and rough.

"Tony - I'm so sorry." Steve stroked the back of his hand with his thumb. 

"S'okay… I -" He broke into coughing again. When Tony struggled to sit up, Steve grabbed his shoulders and helped ease him up, bracing his hand against his back to keep him from sliding down again. "Not your fault," he muttered. "I - ugh - I keep -" he coughed "- I can't sleep lying down or it -" He coughed again.

"Here." Steve guided Tony into place on the cot then climbed in behind him, bracing his back against the side of the hut and drawing Tony up against his chest. "Is that better?" Tony was propped up, half sitting, half lying down, with the pressure off his lungs, but gravity helping him draw in what little air he could.

Tony nodded. "Much. But you don't have to -"

"Just sleep, Tony. Sleep."

Tony's next blink was laden. "...Thank you…" He slipped into sleep, deep this time.

Steve couldn't help letting his fingers pet up and down the outside of Tony's arm. This might be the only time he'd get to hold him. Steve thought about telling him how he felt, confessing his feelings, but what good would it do now? Tony was very clearly in love with someone else, and telling him would only pile on more pain and confusion. 

Steve didn't sleep a wink all night. He stayed sitting against the wall, supporting Tony so he could sleep. Tony woke himself up coughing a few times, but he didn't stay awake, slipping back into sleep once he'd hacked a lump of wet petals into the dish. By morning, they were everywhere, every cough bringing up more and more.

When Tony's eyes fluttered open, Steve eased him back down on the cot. "I'm going to get some food," he explained. 

Nea wasn't around when Steve pushed outside into the morning sun, but he wandered down the main path between the huts, and he found her sitting with an elderly couple, bouncing a baby on her knee. "Captain!" she called, and Steve ran over. "Captain Rogers, this is Huro and Erie. I thought you might want to speak to the only people in our village to ever survive the hanahaki disease."

Steve sat on a log perched near the front stoop where they sat. "Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. I would love to hear their story."

The couple spoke, and Nea translated in time with them, her words confident and unjumbled. "I didn't know how I felt about Huro," Erie began, "when I went to work in the hanahaki greenhouse. Or maybe I did, but I wouldn't let myself think about it. I told myself it wasn't love. That I was fine. And I must have believed that because I signed up to work the hanahaki plants. I was fine for a few weeks - they weren't in season yet - but to get the best crop, we have to go in and -" she mimed poking them with something "- to release the pollen and make sure they fertilize each other.

"One breath in, and I knew. My mother and father cried for hours. I wouldn't tell them who it was that I loved. I remember the pain, as my breath slowly disappeared. I could feel it growing inside me. It felt heavy. It was hard to move, think, do anything. And then, when I thought it was all over, and I would die -"

A harsh scream ripped through the air.

Steve pushed to his feet and bolted through the village, Nea close on his heels. He stuck his arm in his hut as he passed, grabbing the edge of the shield and pulling it along with him. They rounded the last hut, and Nea's scream mixed with the others. 

Vines stretched out of the edge of the jungle, and they were  _ moving,  _ a small child caught in the grasp of one. God, of course… why they found no evidence of the beast on their search, no mammalian influence: it was a plant just like all the others. An aggressive plant no longer sated by what it could find amongst the trees. He threw the shield before he'd even come to a stop, and it sliced through the vines and released the young girl. Steve raced forward and grabbed her, all but throwing her back into Nea's arms, out of the way.

The girl sobbed and screamed, fighting Nea's hold, and Steve followed her line of sight. Her little brother was caught too, already disappearing into the trees, too scared to cry out. The vines were wrapped so completely around him, he almost wasn't visible. 

Steve charged forward again. 

The centre of the creature was just coming clear through the trees. Steve couldn't tell if it could move, or if it was deeply rooted, and it merely had an exceptional reach with its vines. Steve grabbed the boy, halting its progress towards the centre, but only for a moment. When he reached up with the shield to bring it down on the vines that grpped the child, another one whipped across his arm with a crack and snapped his shield from his hold. It landed several feet away. He could get it, but he'd have to let the boy got to do so.

The vines started to pull again dragging them both across the dry dirt and towards the edge of the jungle. Steve dug his heels in, hands wrapped around the vines themselves, trying to snap them without hurting the boy, but they wouldn't give. He looked up, judging how much distance they had left, and the green-on-green of the jungle shifted; suddenly he could see the creature's centre. 

It was almost like a venus fly trap, but meatier, a mess of vines spilling out of its base. At its core, a gaping mouth lined with sharp thorns and leaking a shiny, slick-looking substance. It smelled sickly sweet, like rotting fruit, and as Steve and the boy shifted closer and closer, the scent grew stronger, until Steve had to cough and gag to clear his throat.

His vision was blurring, his hands starting to lose their grip. He scrambled desperately at the edges of the vines, trying to free the child, but he couldn't get good hold, and they were still sliding steadily across the ground. Hot, acidic panic welled up in Steve's throat. He tried to move to grab the shield - it was all he could think to do - but he hadn't noticed the vines winding up his legs until he jerked away and they tightened painfully. He struggled, but they only grew tighter, pulling faster now. Steve wrapped his arms around the boy and held him close, pressing his face protectively into his chest. He could still fight.

A sharp crack broke through the screams of the villagers, and at first Steve was terrified that the vines had snatched someone else - but it didn't sound like a whip crack. It was more electrical, like lightning. Before he could process that, Steve's vision exploded with white light, and he flinched away, blinking. The vines around him loosened, and Steve looked up to see the creature writhing and twitching, a massive gaping hole in its core still steaming gently. The vines whipped through the air once more, and then fell to the ground, dead. 

Steve twisted around, the child clutched in his arms. Tony was standing on the hard-packed ground, one hand braced on his knee, the other outstretched, gauntlet on and repulsor glowing. He was death-pale and shone with sweat, his lips tinged blue from lack of oxygen. He was heaving and gasping, and the front of his t-shirt was stained pink with flower petals. 

"Tony!" Steve scrambled to his feet. With the creature dead, adults were swarming the area and Steve handed off the rescued child, running full tilt towards Tony. He caught him just before he hit the ground and swept him up in his arms. "What were you thinking?" Steve gasped, carrying Tony back to the hut as quickly as he could without jostling him. 

Steve settled Tony on his cot and eased him into position, pressing his hand to the back of Tony's neck in what he hoped was a soothing way while Tony heaved and wretched and spat a seemingly endless stream of petals into the dish. Each one was caked with blood now, and when Tony sat back, gasping, his lips were stained with red too. 

Steve reached for the water dish by his cot, but it was empty. He took it and stood. "I'm going to get you some water, okay?" Tony was so out of it he didn't respond, and Steve took the chance to bend down and brush his lips against Tony's forehead. His stomach twisted; it didn't seem like it would be long now…

Outside, the sun felt harsh on Steve's eyes and they prickled and stung. He walked over to the well in the centre of the village and dipped his bowl inside. When he stood again, Erie was at his elbow. 

"I am sorry," she said.

"Oh, you speak English." Steve reached out and took her hand. "I'm sorry we were interrupted before."

Erie brushed her knuckles softly over Steve's cheek. "I am sorry it was not you."

"Pardon?"

"His love. I am sorry it was not you. I see the way you look towards him." She smiled sadly.

"Ah." Steve ducked his head. "Yeah. I'm sorry too. I wish -" he took a sharp breath "- I wish he could have known how I felt. Even if he didn't love me back. I hate that we had this secret between us."

Erie tilted her head with confusion. "Secret?" she asked. "He knows?"

"No, no. I never told him how I felt. And now… now it's too complicated, and besides, he clearly loves someone else."

Her eyes went wide with shock. "But -! No. It could be you. Why not? It could be you!" She grabbed Steve's sleeve and huffed with frustration, her English clearly failing her.

"I don't understand. How could it be me? He never would have gotten sick if it were me, I've loved him for years."

"Nea!" Erie shouted, followed by something in her own language. 

Nea ran over, wiping her hands on a towel. They were covered in dirt from her garden as were her knees. "What's wrong?"

Erie began to speak rapidly, and Nea listened, her brow creasing. She nodded then began to translate. "I never knew how Huro felt about me. I was sure he loved someone else. He was engaged to another girl - why would he even know who I am? So, even once I accepted that it was him, I had no hope. But then when I was sick, he came to me. He told me his engagement was just one of convenience, there was no love between them, and that he had never asked me because he was sure I could not love him. But he told me he did love me, he always had, and the pain - it was gone. I was free. We were married right away."

Steve gaped at both of them. "I - what? Are you telling me that it's not about truth, it's just what he believes to be the truth? That he could be infected as long as he's sure the other person doesn't love him back, even if they do?"

Nea nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry. I thought you understood that. I -"

_ "It could be me!" _ Steve shouted, taking an aborted half step towards them. "Is that what you're saying? It could have been me all along?"

"If you love him… yes." The two women stared at him in shock.

"Oh my god." Steve spun on his heel. He had no way of knowing, maybe Tony really did love someone else, but he'd be damned if he didn't try. He powered across the grass, his water cup falling out of his hands, and burst into the hut. 

Steve skidded to a stop on his knees next to Tony's cot. Tony didn't move, didn't acknowledge his arrival. Steve grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him. "Tony, wake up. Tony. Tony. Please wake up."

Adie was in their hut, mixing more of her sleeping aid. She moved towards him, clearly concerned, but he shot her a pinning look, and she backed away, hands up. 

"Tony!" Steve shook him again. 

Tony's eyes fluttered open, and he immediately broke into a fit of coughing, spewing tiny, pink petals all over his chest. "Steve," he groaned. "Please…" he shoved ineffectually at Steve's arm, but Steve gave him another shake.

"Tony, tell me who it is. Please." He caught his eye, begged with every atom in his body. "Tony, please. Tell me. Tell me who you love."

Tony coughed again, spat. His eyes were dull and fading, every breath a tiny hitch of air. The hand Steve pressed over Tony's chest could feel how little his lungs expanded each time. He was barely hanging on.

Steve leaned in and brought their foreheads close together. "Tell me…"

Tony's hand landed on his cheek, shaking slightly, his fingers brushing over the stubble along Steve's jaw. He swallowed heavily. "It's you, Steve. It's always been you. Don't blame yourse- love you -" he broke into another fit of coughing.

"You crazy, stupid, idiot, genius." Steve broke into furious tears. "I love you, too. How could you?" Steve tugged Tony closer and pressed their lips together, just once, firm and unquestionable. He tasted blood. "I love you too. Tony, I love you. Please don't die. Please, I need you."

Tony's eyes went wide, and his fingers twitched against Steve's cheek. "What?" he gasped out.

"I've always loved you." Steve pushed Tony's sweat-damp hair back from his face and kissed his forehead, each cheek, and his lips again. A whimper slipped from Tony's lips as Steve pulled away. "I've always loved you, Tony."

"Steve -" Tony's other hand snapped to Steve's chest, and his next breath caught. He squeezed his eyes shut in pain and doubled up over the edge of the cot. Steve half caught him, stopping him from hitting the floor.

"What -?" He should have been getting better. Steve loved him back; everything was supposed to be okay now. "Please..." 

But the coughing was even worse now, the worst it had ever been. Tony's eyes were wide with desperation, tears leaking down over his cheeks as he wheezed and gasped, trying to suck in air, but it seemed, without much luck. 

Steve was shaking now, at a loss for what to do. Was he too late? Had Erie been wrong? Maybe he'd misunderstood again. But Tony loved him, and he loved Tony back, what else could it be? "Tony, Tony," Steve said, hands scrabbling in his shirt. "I love you so much. Please don't leave me."

Tony choked again, then wretched. He folded up, hands clapping to his chest, eyes squeezed shut, throat working. And then, on the next cough, there was more than spit and petals. He heaved again and something dark hit the floor with a disgusting noise. It was a tightly coiled root ball, the ends of each root tinged with blood. 

Tony gasped, and his next breath was deep and full. He collapsed onto the bed, sucking in breath after breath until Steve could see he was hyperventilating. He grabbed Tony's hand and pressed it against his own chest. "Shhh, sweetheart," he soothed. "Breathe slowly for me, okay? Just follow my lead. In -" he drew it out for four seconds "- out." He repeated it, eventually adding in a four second hold with full lungs and another with empty. Tony began to follow him, the panic fading from his eyes, blue-tinged lips pinking again.

Steve almost sobbed with relief. He clutched at Tony's other hand, drawing it to him as well, then pressed a line of kisses over his knuckles. Tony grabbed Steve's shirt and drew him in until Steve was practically draped over him. He buried his face in Steve's shoulder. "Oh god, I can breathe again, oh my god." His voice was shaky, and his throat was clearly still roughed up from  coughing, but it was the strongest words he'd spoken in two days, and Steve clutched him closer, burying his face in Tony's neck. 

"Tony, Tony, you're okay. I love you so much. I've got you. Never ever keeping things from you again. Never. I love you. I love you. If only I'd said that before. I didn't know. I didn't know it worked that way. I'm so sorry. I love you so much." It took a moment for Steve to realize he was shaking and Tony was stroking a soothing hand up and down his side. 

"Shh, Steve, it's okay. I'm okay. You saved me. I'm okay." 

Steve pulled back and caught Tony's eye. His own widened when he saw Tony's cheeks flush pink, and he realized there was something heavy hanging between them now, something new. "It's okay if you don't want to make anything of it," Steve said, words tumbling out in a rush. "It's enough just to know you love me. We can stay friends, if that's what you want. I'll back off. I'm just so glad you're alive."

Tony placed a gentle hand on either side of Steve's face then stroked over each cheek with his thumbs. He eased Steve down until their lips touched softly together. "Don't you dare," he whispered in the tiny breath of space between them when they parted. "I can't breathe without you."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! You can follow me on tumblr at festiveferret.tumblr.com <3


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